Mr. Buff cruises in Saginaw Stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. – Mr. Buff, despite a bobble at the break, made the lead rather easily under Junior Alvarado, got away with soft fractions, and went on to dominate Sunday’s $100,000 Saginaw Stakes for New York-breds by 6 1/4 lengths at Belmont Park.

Dynamax Prime, fourth early, rallied to finish second by 2 1/4 lengths over Sea Foam, who was 8 1/2 lengths clear of Twisted Tom. Mo Diddley finished last. Runaway Lute was scratched.

The win was the ninth from 29 starts for Mr. Buff, a 5-year-old gelding by Friend Or Foe, and his third stakes victory. He increased his career earnings to $623,786.

Mr. Buff had shown an affinity for races run around two turns and at 1 1/8 miles. A four-race winning streak – all at that configuration – came to an end with a last-place finish in the Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap on a day when horses such as War of Will and Serengeti Empress also had poor races

Cutting back to a one-turn mile for the Commentator Stakes here on May 27, Mr. Buff finished a solid third behind Pat On the Back and Great Expectations when he was pressed through fast fractions.

Sunday, in the one-turn, 1 1/16 mile Saginaw, there appeared to be other speed on paper. It never materialized.

Breaking from the rail, Mr. Buff had a stutter-step start, but quickly recovered and glided to the front while running an opening quarter in 24.03 seconds. Sea Foam, under Joel Rosario, was a length back at that juncture and through a half-mile in 47.66 seconds.

Midway on the turn, Sea Foam was right off Mr. Buff’s flank but Alvarado asked Mr. Buff to open up and he did just that. By the top of the lane, Mr. Buff was well clear and, despite not changing leads until very late, he won easily.

Mr. Buff, owned and bred by Chester and Mary Broman and trained by John Kimmel, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.21 and returned $3.90 as the odds-on favorite.

“He was able to control the race easy as he wanted to,” Alvarado said. “From the three-eighths pole I knew how much horse I had, it was just a matter of time when he started picking it up and give me the performance that he just did.”

Kimmel, who likened the performance to “a morning breeze” said he would likely give Mr. Buff a chance against open company in a graded stakes at Saratoga such as the Whitney or the Woodward. He could use the Alydar Stakes on Aug. 2 as a prep for the Grade 1 Woodward on Aug. 31.

“I think he’s got the ability to tussle with the bigger boys,” Kimmel said.